U.S. Census Bureau: More Louisianans Than Ever Have Health Insurance

BATON ROUGE - Today, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards released the following statement on new health insurance data from the U.S. Census Bureau:

“Once again, we have good news to share about the impact of our Medicaid expansion, this time from the federal government. More Louisianans than ever had health insurance in 2017, according to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau. From 2016 to 2017, Louisiana’s uninsurance rate for adults and children dropped from 10.3 percent to 8.4 percent – the largest drop among states. We were one of only three states that experienced a statistically significant decrease between those years.

"This is a direct result of Medicaid expansion. In 2013, prior to expansion, the Census Bureau reported that Louisiana’s uninsured rate was 16.6 percent. We’ve cut that number in half. These numbers align with LSU’s recent Louisiana Health Insurance study that also showed a dramatic reduction in the uninsured rate due to expansion.

"As I’ve said repeatedly, the decision to expand Medicaid was the easiest big decision I’ve made as Governor. We’re providing health coverage to more than 477,000 Louisianans today. Additionally, there have been more than 241,000 preventive visits resulting in the early diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening diseases like cancer, hypertension, and diabetes. We’ve accomplished all of this while saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars, creating more than 19,000 new jobs, and spurring $3.57 billion of economic activity throughout Louisiana."